The DSR Network

The media and journalists are pillars of a healthy democracy, but they’re not infallible. So how do we hold errant media personalities and companies accountable? Norm and Kavita break down this unique issue and pay tribute to one of the greats, Howard Fineman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the Tuesday edition of the DSR daily, we discuss President Biden’s new executive action to protect immigrants, increased spending among NATO allies, a severe heatwave in the US, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Politico released a new poll with some pretty big surprises: A larger-than-expected percentage of Americans say Donald Trump’s criminal conviction in Manhattan makes them less likely to vote for him. The finding is even more striking among independents. The poll also took the innovative step of trying to gauge how important Trump’s conviction is to voters. And the answer is: Pretty important! We talked to Ankush Khardori, a senior writer for Politico Magazine who oversaw this poll, who walked us through its findings, what they mean, and whether Trump’s pressure on Republicans to protect him from the law will backfire on the GOP in November. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the Monday edition of the DSR daily, we cover Netanyahu disbanding his war cabinet, Putin’s planned trip to North Korea, polling troubles for Donald Trump, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Dr. Anthony Fauci’s new book comes out, and it contains a disturbing chapter about Donald Trump’s ignorance, explosive rage and megalomania during the coronavirus pandemic. We think this should be covered as a loud, clanging alarm bell about the dangers of a second Trump term. So we talked to New York Times columnist Paul Krugman, who has written a series of columns on voter amnesia about Trump’s 2020 performance, about the horrors unleashed on the country by his unfitness for the presidency—and why recent events suggest he’s gotten much worse. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Air Date: July 3, 2023 On this week's episode of the DSR, co-host Marc Polymeropoulos is joined by guest James Lawler, a former CIA operations officer for 25 years and former member of the CIA's Senior Intelligence Service where he specialized in the recruitment of foreign spies. Don’t miss their discussion on the Iranian nuclear program and the qualities that make an effective CIA recruiter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Air Date: June 22, 2023 Few people have offered the kind of insight into Donald Trump than has his niece, psychologist Mary Trump. On this special episode of DSR, we speak to Mary about how she thinks the former president is responding to the legal walls closing in on him, how he would react were he sentenced to prison and how his very first years growing up in Queens may have scarred him and put the country at risk. Don't miss this fascinating, wide-ranging conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Much of our discussions about nuclear weapons focus on Oppenheimer, the Manhattan Project, or the Cold War. But what does the current nuclear age really look like? Sarah Scoles joins Heather Williams to discuss her book “Countdown” and share first hand reporting on the scientists who work within the nuclear apparatus of the United States. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AI affects us all, for better or for worse. But AI has long been used to harass and exploit women in particular. Disinformation expert Nina Jankowicz joins David Rothkopf to share how and why AI has an adversarial relationship with gender and women, and how officials can be doing more to protect us from its malign uses. This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR daily for June 14, we discuss the latest news from the G7 summit, Putin’s laughable ceasefire demands, the arrival of a US submarine in Cuba, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New reports are emerging about Donald Trump’s tightening grip on the GOP, and the upshot is this: It’s crazier and more dangerous than you thought. First we learned that Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson privately schemed over how to sabotage ongoing prosecutions of Trump. Then Trump met with Republicans and reportedly unleashed numerous strange rants, calling the Justice Department “dirty no good bastards” and spinning out a wild tale about Nancy Pelosi’s daughter. We talked with A.B. Stoddard, a columnist at The Bulwark and shrewd observer of GOP politics, and she trenchantly explained why this moment is very much not a drill. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s go time for the Biden campaign. With only five months to go until Election Day, polls suggest that Biden and Trump are neck and neck. Tara McGowan and Simon Rosenberg join David Rothkopf to share what the Democrats need to do to secure victory in November, and why this month is critical for the future of the race. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR daily for Thursday, we cover the US and Ukraine’s expected security agreement, attempts to overturn President Biden’s asylum restrictions, President Miley’s radical overhauls in Argentina, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An influential group called the True Texas Project is hosting a conference in July that will actively promote Christian Nationalism and the racist great replacement theory, the Texas Tribune reports. The group, which subscribes to the idea of a “war on white America,” has ties to many Texas GOP officials, the report says, including Senator Ted Cruz and Attorney General Ken Paxton, a major supporter of Donald Trump. We talked to Sarah Posner, author of several books on the religious right, who sheds much-needed light on this ugly tangle far right ideologies—and how they’re being mainstreamed at the highest levels of Republican power. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The western world hailed President Zelenskyy as a protector of democracy at the 80th anniversary of Normandy. But will we give Ukraine the support it needs to defend itself? Ivo Daalder, Nate Mook, and Kori Schake join David Rothkopf to illustrate why were are at a critical moment in Ukraine and what the US and the West need to do to win. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The US can’t seem to figure out the Middle East. Decades of involvement in the region has had mixed results to say the least. So where did we go wrong? Steven Cook, author of the new book “The End of Ambition” joins David Rothkopf to explain America’s past, present, and future in the Middle East. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR daily for Wednesday, we discuss Hamas seeking a ‘complete halt’ in the war in Gaza, Hunter Biden’s guilty verdict, impending announcements from the G7 summit, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump is now leveling his authoritarian threats right out in the open. He appears supremely confident that none of it will alienate swing voters. Now NBC News reports that the Biden campaign hopes to draw out this side of Trump at their upcoming debate—but if Trump doesn’t see these things as liabilities, he may advertise them all over again when voters are paying attention. We talked to Slate legal writer Dahlia Lithwick, author of an excellent new piece outlining how Trump is running on an overt promise of authoritarianism, about whether voters will awaken to the threat he poses—and how this could cause his confidence to blow up in his face. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Money can’t buy happiness. But it seems like it can buy you a Supreme Court justice. The corruption of certain justices continues to be laid bare for all to see, but the question remains: what can we do about it? Norm and Kavita break it all down. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the Tuesday edition of the DSR daily, we cover the UN Security Council’s adoption of a resolution on a permanent Gaza ceasefire, the US lifting a ban on the Azov Brigade using American weapons, Modi’s retention of key cabinet ministers, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the wake of Donald Trump’s criminal conviction, House Speaker Mike Johnson and Republicans are ramping up with sordid new efforts to use their congressional powers to protect Trump from other ongoing prosecutions. This gives Democrats an opening to hammer Republicans for aiding and abetting Trump’s nonstop quest to place himself above the law. Yet some Democrats seem reluctant to engage this fight. We talked to California Representative Eric Swalwell, who breaks down the absurdity of the GOP’s various tactics—and how Democrats can go on offense against them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Russian warships are arriving in Cuba. Another US senior official sentenced for spying for the Cubans. Sound familiar? Retired FBI counterintelligence expert Pete Lapp joins Marc to shed light on Cuba’s tense history with the US and why this persistent thorn in the side of US national security has been underestimated for too long. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR daily for Monday, we discuss the announcement of snap parliamentary elections in France, Antony Blinken’s visit to the Middle East, Republican plans for 2025, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some Republicans are reportedly worried that Donald Trump’s ongoing public attacks on his criminal conviction show that he’s overly focused on lathering up his base, and refuses to grasp that the verdict will likely alienate swing voters. We think this highlights a deeper truth about Trump and the MAGA movement itself: They cannot acknowledge that such Trump-centrict obsessions might be unpopular with the broader electorate, as this would constitute showing weakness. We talked to Washington Post reporter Isaac Arnsdorf, author of an excellent new book called Finish What We Started: The MAGA Movement’s Ground War to End Democracy, who helped us unravel this tangle of MAGA pathologies. Listen to this episode here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Air Date: June 5, 2023 Michael’s guest this week is James Rushton, a journalist at Yahoo News who is covering the Ukraine-Russia war from his home in Kyiv. He’s been reporting amidst air raid sirens and other challenges and is extremely well-placed on the front lines of the war to tell you what is happening in the country. His experience and perspective on all things Ukraine is not to be missed. Tune In. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Air Date: June 16, 2023 There have been glimmers of sanity from a Supreme Court that seemed hopelessly radicalized. The former president of the United States has begun to be held accountable and America has not rioted in the streets in response. We are far from out of the woods and Donald Trump has promised that the first thing he would do were he to be reelected is to turn the country into a banana republic. But what are we to make of the progress, the good news? And what should we brace for in terms of the next wave of bad news? We discuss with the one and only Dahlia Lithwick of Slate and the Amicus brief. You won't want to miss this conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How does someone become a child solider? More importantly, how do they escape? Anthony Opoka joins the podcast with Mick Mulroy and Eric Oehlerich to share his journey from unwilling soldier in Kony’s LRA to crusader for the freedom of child soldiers. Don’t miss his incredible story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You can never be too certain about what might happen next in Iran. With the death of President Raisi, the country’s future is more unpredictable than ever. Thankfully, expert Barbara Slavin joins Heather and Jon to analyze what could come next for both Iran and the region. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for June 7, we cover a federal judge ordering Steve Bannon to prison, Joe Biden’s meeting with Zelenskyy in Paris, Netanyahu’s upcoming visit to the US, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A judge just ordered longtime Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon to surrender to prison on July 1st after his conviction for defying the Jan. 6th committee’s subpoena. Not surprisingly, Trump and MAGA have already exploded in rage. Making this worse, Bannon is one of the leading pro-Trump figures calling on Trump to jail Democrats without cause if he wins the White House—and Bannon’s jail time will only fuel that mania. We talked to Eric Columbus, a lawyer who represented the Jan. 6th committee, about the alarming signals this sends about the perils of a second Trump presidency. Listen to this episode here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for June 6, we cover an Israeli strike on a UN school in Gaza, shifting support towards Biden in the wake of Trump’s conviction, the Houthi rebels’ new missile, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal published a dodgy hit piece about President Biden’s age. Then something unusual happened: Democratic lawmakers went nuclear on the piece, going on record to forcefully undermine its core assertions. This deserves some discussion: Could Dems better “work the refs” the way Republicans do? When liberals do criticize coverage, why do newsroom leaders shrug it off? Why do editors insult our intelligence with phony justifications for the overemphasis on Biden’s age? We chatted with Aaron Rupar, a shrewd media observer and author of the “Public Notice" Substack, about the deeper problems with the press this episode reveals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Modi has claimed victory in the Indian elections, but the reality isn’t so rosy for the BJP. For the first time in his tenure, Modi has failed to secure the majority. Journalist Rana Ayyub joins David Rothkopf alongside Rosa Brooks, Kori Schake, and Ed Luce to break down why this election could be a turning point for India and how Modi lost his touch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for June 5, we cover President Biden’s new asylum restrictions, the House efforts to sanction ICC officials, an election debate in Britain, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

MAGA loyalists have been relentlessly pushing a silly talking point: The American people are in full scale revolt against the criminal conviction of Donald Trump. Guess what? The polls are telling a different story, finding majority support for the verdict. One of these, from the progressive firm Data for Progress, finds that this is also true among swing voters. We chatted with Data for Progress’s executive director, Danielle Deiseroth, about what all these numbers are really telling us, most (though not all) of it good news. Listen to this episode here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The competitive relationship between the US and China manages to be both novel, and strikingly familiar. With shades of the Cold War, the potential for escalation is a constant threat. Dmitri Alperovitch joins David Rothkopf to discuss his book “World on the Brink” and how the US can win a Cold War with China. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trump is guilty 34 times over. That’s a big deal. So, what happens now? Norm and Kavita break down the political ramifications of the ruling, how MAGA-world is coping with the news, and the political fallout that is already underway. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR Daily for June 4, we cover the BJP’s election performance in India, the Biden administration’s expected new asylum restrictions, Dr. Fauci’s public hearing appearance, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the wake of Donald Trump’s conviction on 34 felony counts, Republican anger at the verdict is getting darker, with GOP leaders talking about holding hearings and even defunding other prosecutions of Trump. But Democrats are not engaging this debate nearly as intensively, and appear divided over how to proceed. This is puzzling: The furious GOP defense of Trump is deranged and reckless, and would almost certainly be deeply unpopular—if voters are made to understand it. We talked to veteran Democratic strategist Celinda Lake, who suggested ways the party might find a stronger and more unified posture in this battle going forward. Listen to this episode here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Artificial intelligence has limitless potential and presents a multitude of risks. So how do we manage the positives without the negatives. White House Special Advisor on AI Ben Buchanan joins David Rothkopf to share what the White House has been doing to promote beneficial growth in AI and more. This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the DSR daily for June 3, we discuss Mexico electing it’s first woman president, Georgia signing a contentious bill into law, a Chinese spacecraft landing on the far side of the moon, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The other day on CNN, prominent Never Trump lawyer George Conway did something you rarely see in Washington. He dressed down a GOP commentator for lying his ass off about Donald Trump—and then, right on the air, he asked why CNN was paying this Republican to spread lies on Trump’s behalf. We think this episode illustrates a deep problem with the media’s handling of pro-Trump propaganda. So we chatted with Conway about why he unloaded—and in the process, he revealed some interesting things about the network. Listen to this episode here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Following on the heels of a Manhattan jury convicting twice-impeached disgraced former president Donald Trump on 34 felony counts, we sit down with the Washington Post's Jen Rubin and Mike Tomasky of the New Republic and try to figure out what to make of these recent events. One conclusion: Apparently we would be better off if everyone actually read some news every day. We discuss that and much more in a must listen episode. Join us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Heather and Jon talk to James Acton, the Jessica T. Mathews Chair and is co-director of the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. They delve into the escalating nuclear risks arising from recent events in Ukraine and their potential impact on global security. They also explore the intersection of American interests, European alliances, and the strategic risks associated with the Ukraine war. The discussion highlights the need for risk reduction and the challenges of managing nuclear risks without a cooperative partner. It also addresses the debate around the role of the US in supporting Ukraine and the potential consequences of aggressive actions on nuclear stability. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The conversation covers the criminal conviction of former President Donald Trump, the implications of the conviction on the upcoming election, the decision to authorize Ukraine to use US-supplied weapons, the rare direct talks between the US and China, the controversy surrounding Supreme Court justices, and a humorous incident involving a Michigan man during a court hearing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this special edition of Siliconsciousness, we have an in-depth conversation with Arati Prabhakar, the Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. We discuss the current state of the administration-wide effort to adapt to the complex realities of age of Artificial Intelligence. Prabhakar also details evolving objectives and challenges for the effort. A must-listen on a wide range of vital topics. Join us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Award-winning journalist and author, Liza Mundy, discusses her latest book 'The Sisterhood: The Secret History of Women at the CIA' and delves into the experiences of women at the CIA, their challenges, and their contributions to the agency. The conversation also explores the complexities of the CIA as an institution and the unique experiences of women within it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Earlier this week, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito refused to recuse himself from hearing Jan. 6-related cases amid controversy over an upside-down U.S. flag outside Alito’s home that’s associated with Donald Trump’s “Stop the Steal” effort. Then, on Thursday, Chief Justice John Roberts denied Democrats’ demand for a meeting, adding to the imperiousness around the conservative justices and making the Alito scandal look worse. We talked to Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, about what he called the “omerta” code for right wing justices—and whether it’s time for hearings into the Alito mess. Listen to this episode here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The conversation covers a range of topics including the Trump trial, Supreme Court Justice Alito's refusal to recuse himself, the US-built pier in Gaza, Ukrainian drone strikes, and the South African elections. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump recently said he’s “looking at” imposing restrictions on contraception if he is elected president, and even promised a concrete policy. Then he quickly walked it back. But certain constituencies on the right have not given up—far from it. We chatted with Politico reporter Alice Miranda Ollstein, co-author of a great new piece detailing the blueprint that Trump’s MAGA allies are developing for him to restrict birth control through executive action, about how far this could get if he regains the White House. It isn’t pretty. Listen to this episode here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices